Images, such as satellite images, can be combined to produce one large panorama or mosaic of images. One problem encountered in combining images is that the images are often not tonally balanced. Tonal imbalances can be caused by a variety of factors. With respect to satellite images, for example, tonal imbalances can be caused by differences in the angle of the camera in relationship to the sun, or differences in the moisture content of the air when pictures are taken on different days. If the images are not tonally balanced, visible seams can appear where the different images come together. The differences between the tones of the images used in the panorama or mosaic can become even more noticeable when the images are taken at different times or different seasons because of differences in the brightness and position of the sun.
One approach that has been used to balance images is to tonally balance a single pair of images at a time. Because this approach only allows two images to be balanced at a time, a user is required to determine a path through the image mosaic when balancing the images. Different paths can result in greatly differing results. This approach is inherently unstable, as it is subject to choices made by the user in selecting a path, and is also time-consuming for the user.